“Here is your first class, Miss Lee.”
After a brief campus tour, Principal Kim escorted me to my first class. The polished floors and immaculate hallways felt sterile, a stark contrast to the bustling streets of Busan.
“Thank you, Mr. Kim.” I bowed respectfully, attempting to mirror his formality.
“No need to thank me, Miss Lee. It is an honor to have Lee Minseok’s daughter attending our school.”
My cheeks flushed. “Please, Mr. Kim,” I laughed, a touch awkwardly. “My father is just like any other ordinary man.”
“On the contrary, Mr. Lee is our most loyal donor. We are very grateful for his generous contributions.” He beamed, his eyes twinkling.
“Really? I had no idea.” I hadn’t. My father, usually so taciturn about his affairs, had only mentioned a new school, a fresh start. This felt… different.
“No need to be modest.” He patted my shoulder with a knowing smile.
I wasn’t being modest at all. I genuinely hadn’t known. Before I could respond, a blur of color whizzed past us. A boy with mint green hair, followed closely by another with vibrant pink, nearly collided with a display of student artwork.
*Where did these boys come from?*
“Hey! Aren't you boys in class!” Principal Kim roared, his voice booming down the hallway. They completely ignored him, continuing their chaotic chase.
“Sorry, Miss Lee,” he sighed, his shoulders slumping. “This type of thing doesn’t happen often around here.”
I seriously doubted that.
“Boys, get back here!” He chased after them, blowing his whistle repeatedly. I was left alone, staring at the classroom door. A wave of apprehension washed over me. I paused, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.
The moment I entered, all eyes turned towards me. A silent assessment, quick and impersonal.
“Good morning,” a woman greeted, her voice warm and welcoming. “You must be Lee Y/N. I am Mrs. Jeon, your English teacher.” She smiled, gesturing towards the front of the class.
“Please introduce yourself.”
I faced the class, forcing a smile. “Hello everyone. My name is Lee Y/N, and I recently moved here from Busan. I hope we can all get along well and become friends. Please take care of me.” I offered a shallow bow. A ripple of applause followed, polite but distant.
Over the murmur, I overheard snippets of conversation.
“…wow, she’s cute. Does she have a boyfriend?”
“Bro, she’s way out of your league.”
“…how cute! Is she really a senior?”
“She’s so pretty.”
“Sucks that she had to transfer her senior year. She must’ve been really popular.”
Then, a cutting whisper, laced with malice: “She looks like a hoe.”
“Yea, I don’t know what everyone’s going on about. She’s not even that pretty.”
I rolled my eyes, a surge of irritation bubbling within me. *Come on, you haven’t even met me yet.*
I hated how quickly people were always so quick to judge.
“Okay, class, settle down.” Mrs. Jeon raised her hand, silencing the chatter. I felt her gaze linger on me, assessing.
“Okay, Y/N, I’ve already created a seating chart according to alphabetical order of your last name.” She began scanning her roster. “It looks like you will be seated with Lee Haechan.”
A collective gasp rippled through the classroom.
*What?*
“She’s so unlucky,” someone muttered.
“Poor girl.”
“I hope she survives.”
Why was I unlucky? Why wouldn’t I survive?
“Lee Haechan, please raise your hand.”
My eyes scanned the room, finally landing on a half-raised hand in the back left corner. A boy with his head down, the hood of his sweater obscuring his face. He seemed utterly indifferent, a dark silhouette against the bright classroom.
So much for a warm welcome.
I walked over to his desk, my heart pounding against my ribs. “Hello, I’m Lee Y/N, nice to meet you.” I said tentatively, but he didn’t even glance up.
*Whatever.* It wasn’t like I was trying to be polite.
The first class ended quickly, barely twenty minutes having passed since I’d entered. The bell rang, signaling the transition to the next class. I noticed Haechan hadn’t moved, still slumped over his desk, his hood pulled low.
*Did he really fall asleep?*
I didn’t want him to be late. “Hello?” I tapped his shoulder gently.
“The bell rang.” I reminded him, but he didn’t budge.
“Heyyyyy, you’re going to be late to your next class.” I raised my voice, hoping to rouse him.
Suddenly, his hand shot out, gripping my wrist with surprising strength. He lifted his head, the hood falling back to reveal his face.
“Thanks for the wake-up call, princess. Now don’t ever do that again.” His voice was cold, laced with a threat.
He shoved me back, sending me stumbling backwards. He didn’t spare another glance, simply turned and walked away.
*Just my luck.* I quickly gathered my belongings and hurried to my next class. Unfortunately, I was late, earning a detention from my mathematics teacher. All thanks to that boy. I just hoped I wouldn’t have to see him for the rest of the day.
My second and third classes passed in a blur. I didn’t know anyone, so I quietly daydreamed at my desk while the other students chattered excitedly about their summer adventures. I began to feel homesick, longing for my friends and the familiar comfort of my old school. I hated it here, and I knew nothing would change that.
The bell rang, and I dragged myself to my fourth class, science. All I wanted was to survive this last period and then enjoy lunch.
My stomach sank as I realized lab tables were arranged in groups of four.
*Great.*
Everyone was pairing up with their friends, leaving me as the odd one out. I noticed an empty table and started towards it, stopping abruptly when I made eye contact with Haechan.
“Fuck.” I muttered under my breath, praying I wouldn’t get stuck with him.
Just then, a voice called my name. “Y/N-ah.” I turned and saw Yeri sitting with two other girls.
“Hi,” I greeted them, approaching their table.
“I thought that was you,” Yeri smiled, gesturing to the seat next to her. “Come sit, you can be our fourth group member.”
I smiled with relief, grateful to be spared from Haechan’s orbit.
“Hello,” the other two girls greeted me. “I’m Wendy.”
“And I’m Joy.” They both smiled warmly. Not just Yeri, but all three of these girls were incredibly beautiful.
“My name is Y/N,” I introduced myself shyly.
“You are so cute,” Joy suddenly stated, making me blush.
“You are even tinier than Yeri and Wendy, which I never thought was possible.”
“I guess I wasn’t blessed with the average height, huh?” I laughed awkwardly. I didn’t want to be rude, but truthfully, I hated it when people talked about my height. Yes, I was short, and I knew it. The last thing I needed was people constantly reminding me.
Finally, the second bell rang, signaling the start of class.
“Good afternoon, class. I am Mr. Jung, and I will be your science teacher for the year. Now, I hope you chose your lab partners well because you won’t be able to change groups until the end of the semester.”
We went over basic safety rules and instructions. Surprisingly, we were given a small experiment to work on, something that didn’t usually happen on the first day of school. We had to wear safety goggles and chemical gloves since we were working with sulfuric acid.
We worked diligently, finishing our experiment early. Our group was excused for lunch ten minutes ahead of the others.
“Do you want to eat lunch with us?” Yeri asked.
I smiled and nodded.
As we were about to exit the classroom, Haechan purposefully bumped into me, spilling a clear substance over my arm. I screamed.
Mr. Jung rushed over, guiding me to the sink to rinse my arm.
“He’s a psychopath,” I yelled, my voice shaking. “He spilled sulfuric acid on me on purpose.”
I could hear Haechan’s amused laughter in the background as I scrubbed furiously at my skin.
“Lee Haechan, this is not a game! Sulfuric acid is a dangerous chemical that could burn her skin, or were you not paying attention to my lecture earlier?” Mr. Jung scolded him.
“I didn’t spill sulfuric acid on her,” he retorted, breathless, his laughter still bubbling.
“What?” I questioned him, confused.
“It was water, you overdramatic midget.”
“Are you crazy!” I yelled at him.
“Just a little.” He said, shoving me with his shoulder and walking away.
Yeri ran up to check my arm.
“That was a cruel joke, don’t you think?” Joy asked rhetorically.
“Tell me about it,” Wendy added.